12/19/07
Chestnuts roasting @ I-musinf
Tri-O's
Oddities, observations, and opinions
By Herb Kandel
Music, especially this time of year, evokes special memories. Here we are in the era of cyberspace where information is a click away. Why not combine the two as a sort of “do it yourself” to start a new a new tradition of music and information, let’s call it “I-musinf”
We all know that Mel Torme and Bob Welles wrote “The Christmas Song” and Nat “King” Cole delivered the classic vocal rendition. Well, now we too can sing along knowing not only the lyrics but also how to grasp the unembellished quintessence of them. As you read, sing, or hum along remember that each link listed is a live one so keep your speakers on as we recall the familiar melody:
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
How to roast chestnuts: www.ehow.com/how_9918_roast-chestnuts-open.html
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Frostbite prevention: www.surviveoutdoors.com/reference/frostbite.asp
Yule-tide carols being sung by a choir
Learn choir songs: www.choirsongs.net/
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.
Eskimo costumes: www.yandy.com/Eskimo-Cutie.php
Everybody knows a turkey
Turkey nutrition : www.nebraskapoultry.org/turkey_nutrition.htm
And some mistletoe
How mistletoe works: www.christmas.howstuffworks.com/mistletoe1.htm
Help to make the season bright
Where to get Christmas lights: www.christmaslightsetc.com/
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
How eyes shine? www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/5103/wildman/eye.htm
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.
Sleeping aids: www.mayoclinic.com/health/sleeping-pills/SL00010
They know that Santa's on his way
Trace Santa’s route: www.earth.google.com/santa/
He's loaded lots of toys
Santa toy factory: www.santafty.com/
And goodies on his sleigh
Jingle bells on a sleigh ride: www.horsesforhire.net/sleigh.htm
And every mother's child is gonna spy
Obtain spy and security items: www.spyitems.com/
To see if reindeer
A guide to reindeer information: www.reindeer.ws/info.htm
Really know how to fly.
Learn to fly: www.beapilot.com/
And so I'm offering this simple phrase
The blue book of grammar and punctuation: www.grammarbook.com/
To kids from one to ninety-two
Child development: www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/
Growing and learning: www.suddenlysenior.com/
Although it's been said
Everyday sayings explained: www.brochuresonline.net/sayings/
Many times, many ways
High frequency words: www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/frequent.html
Merry Christmas to you.
Merry Christmas in over 360 languages: www.flw.com/merry.htm
So, however you may celebrate the Holiday Season we wish it to be safe, joyous, and harmonious .….. as well as informative.
CLICK
As a special treat, hear Nat Cole and view a montage of the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaxDGfA7evA
To see and hear Nat Cole himself: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oj3jixMGaw
P.S. And, alas, this Christmas stress survival guide may come in handy: www.hubpages.com/hub/Holiday-Stress-Survival-Guide
http://www.baldwincountynow.com/articles/2007/12/19/columnists/doc4768282d1988c232582392.txt
Friday, December 21, 2007
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
12/5;07
Miracles 101, Again
Tri-O's oddities, observations, and opinions By Herb Kandel
Well here we are again, the time of year when we share the Holidays with family and other loved ones. And also the time we hear of Christmas miracles. Positive outcomes from dismal beginnings with unaccounted explanations as to how they occurred. Sometimes we credit a higher power and sometimes just plain luck for the intervention. But there are those who can attribute their ³miracle² to their personal efforts. Here are a few examples.
On a hot August day in 1982 Thomas Chen landed at Kennedy Airport. It was a long flight from Taiwan for the 27 year old. With little cash, he knew only one person in this new land, and he spoke no English. Fast forward 25 years: Chen is president and one of the co-founders of Crystal Window & Door Systems which booked $62 million in sales and has some 450 employees working at offices in eight states it is one of the top 60 manufacturers of replacement and new construction vinyl and aluminum window and door products in North America. How did this happen?
It took him two weeks before he landed the job for a moving company. Within a month he was studying English. First with adult classes then spending his wages on private tutoring and group classes. As his language skills improved so did his employment. As a former metal worker in Taiwan, who had never been to college, he decided to invest his savings on what he knew: welding.
He formed steel into window bars and gates in his basement apartment, then sold the safety devices to local customers in Chinatown and Flushing. He continued to read and studied business management. In 1987 he, with two partners took the plunge by starting Crystal. He also believes in "giving back". Crystal provides free English classes for employees. He also has given a local Community College an endowment to provide scholarships so immigrants can enroll in the school's English classes for free.
Then there was the lady who was a single mother on welfare. It was 1993, the flat where she lived was unheated and rife with mice. She was fighting poverty and depression. So she nursed espresso at the café at the rate of two hours a cup as she wrote in the notebook while the baby slept in the carriage. The idea for the story came to her on a delayed train while going to London three years before, it would take four more years before the idea became a book.
She submitted the manuscript to three British publishers only to receive rejection slips. A fourth publisher signed her up and it was published under her initials because they feared that boys would be put off if they knew it was written by a woman. That was how J.K. Rowling got "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone" into U.S. print in 1998. More books followed as well as the enchanted movies. Her wealth soared like a wizard on a broomstick. It is reported that Rowling is now worth $444 million -- more than the Queen of England.
A hot cup of coffee spills in your lap. What to do?
Solution 1: Sue and collect damages just like the Grandma Vs. McDonald's.
Solution 2: Find a better way to solve the problem and profit by it.
When Jay Sorensen¹s company left town he dabbled in real estate, he "wasn't very good at it." Sorensen was doing his best to support his family and looking for more ways. The "eureka" moment came when he spilled coffee and chose Solution 2.
He observed that coffee-house customers were holding the cups between their thumb and forefingers to avoid burning their hands. Sorensen's solution? A sleeve that would fit around the coffee cups. He developed the idea, then offered it to Starbucks. They wanted exclusive rights and were stalling in making a decision. So Sorensen took it on his own. He scraped together finances to found his company, Java Jacket, hire a patent attorney, and had 100,000 coffee cup jackets made from waffled, recycled cardboard.
Sorensen returned to the cafe where he had originally spilled the coffee. While waiting for the owner he read about a coffee trade show to be held a week later. He had no money to attend. The cafe owner was his first sale. The money was used to attend the trade show, where he got 150 orders. He followed that up with hand-written notes and a sample sleeve to the other 3,500 trade-show attendees. Sales of this family-owned company is now between 20-25 million sleeves a month, to local cafes to national chains.
According to FORBES magazine "Almost two-thirds of the world's 946 billionaires made their fortunes from scratch, relying on grit and determination, and not good genes."
Or waiting for miracles.
http://www.baldwincountynow.com/articles/2007/12/05/columnists/doc4755d47be1a04155602953.txt
Miracles 101, Again
Tri-O's oddities, observations, and opinions By Herb Kandel
Well here we are again, the time of year when we share the Holidays with family and other loved ones. And also the time we hear of Christmas miracles. Positive outcomes from dismal beginnings with unaccounted explanations as to how they occurred. Sometimes we credit a higher power and sometimes just plain luck for the intervention. But there are those who can attribute their ³miracle² to their personal efforts. Here are a few examples.
On a hot August day in 1982 Thomas Chen landed at Kennedy Airport. It was a long flight from Taiwan for the 27 year old. With little cash, he knew only one person in this new land, and he spoke no English. Fast forward 25 years: Chen is president and one of the co-founders of Crystal Window & Door Systems which booked $62 million in sales and has some 450 employees working at offices in eight states it is one of the top 60 manufacturers of replacement and new construction vinyl and aluminum window and door products in North America. How did this happen?
It took him two weeks before he landed the job for a moving company. Within a month he was studying English. First with adult classes then spending his wages on private tutoring and group classes. As his language skills improved so did his employment. As a former metal worker in Taiwan, who had never been to college, he decided to invest his savings on what he knew: welding.
He formed steel into window bars and gates in his basement apartment, then sold the safety devices to local customers in Chinatown and Flushing. He continued to read and studied business management. In 1987 he, with two partners took the plunge by starting Crystal. He also believes in "giving back". Crystal provides free English classes for employees. He also has given a local Community College an endowment to provide scholarships so immigrants can enroll in the school's English classes for free.
Then there was the lady who was a single mother on welfare. It was 1993, the flat where she lived was unheated and rife with mice. She was fighting poverty and depression. So she nursed espresso at the café at the rate of two hours a cup as she wrote in the notebook while the baby slept in the carriage. The idea for the story came to her on a delayed train while going to London three years before, it would take four more years before the idea became a book.
She submitted the manuscript to three British publishers only to receive rejection slips. A fourth publisher signed her up and it was published under her initials because they feared that boys would be put off if they knew it was written by a woman. That was how J.K. Rowling got "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone" into U.S. print in 1998. More books followed as well as the enchanted movies. Her wealth soared like a wizard on a broomstick. It is reported that Rowling is now worth $444 million -- more than the Queen of England.
A hot cup of coffee spills in your lap. What to do?
Solution 1: Sue and collect damages just like the Grandma Vs. McDonald's.
Solution 2: Find a better way to solve the problem and profit by it.
When Jay Sorensen¹s company left town he dabbled in real estate, he "wasn't very good at it." Sorensen was doing his best to support his family and looking for more ways. The "eureka" moment came when he spilled coffee and chose Solution 2.
He observed that coffee-house customers were holding the cups between their thumb and forefingers to avoid burning their hands. Sorensen's solution? A sleeve that would fit around the coffee cups. He developed the idea, then offered it to Starbucks. They wanted exclusive rights and were stalling in making a decision. So Sorensen took it on his own. He scraped together finances to found his company, Java Jacket, hire a patent attorney, and had 100,000 coffee cup jackets made from waffled, recycled cardboard.
Sorensen returned to the cafe where he had originally spilled the coffee. While waiting for the owner he read about a coffee trade show to be held a week later. He had no money to attend. The cafe owner was his first sale. The money was used to attend the trade show, where he got 150 orders. He followed that up with hand-written notes and a sample sleeve to the other 3,500 trade-show attendees. Sales of this family-owned company is now between 20-25 million sleeves a month, to local cafes to national chains.
According to FORBES magazine "Almost two-thirds of the world's 946 billionaires made their fortunes from scratch, relying on grit and determination, and not good genes."
Or waiting for miracles.
http://www.baldwincountynow.com/articles/2007/12/05/columnists/doc4755d47be1a04155602953.txt
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